Comments on: Saudi Dad’s Going to School

By: American Bedu

American Bedu — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:44:14 +0000

Thanks Paloma! We’d love to also hear more of your experiences as a teacher if you care to share!

By: Paloma Pentarian

Paloma Pentarian — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:31:01 +0000

I think this is a great idea!

Paloma (an Elementary teacher in the Middle East)

By: American Bedu

American Bedu — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 09:17:29 +0000

I do not know either if it is rare or not, Khalid!

By: Khalid

Khalid — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 07:24:20 +0000

Interesting! Carol, I didn’t know this before. I think that it’s rare, perhaps not! Who knows ! I know that some kids don’t go to KG; they directly start primary school…

By: American Bedu

American Bedu — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:47:18 +0000

I agree that a presence is better to be a parent rather than a maid. I’d have no problem with it being understood and sanctioned that the first week a parent may be present if it is felt needed but like you pointed out Nzingha, hopefully a full week would not be necessary.

I realize I was very fortunate in that when my son started KG and first grade so many years ago he was so excited and thankfully had no adjustment or separation issues. I think a lot of it helped by having him in play groups prior to starting KG whereas it seems that by comparison a lot of young Saudi children mainly have interactions within the related family where there may or may not be children near the same age.

By: Nzingha

Nzingha — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:11:25 +0000

I think a week is a bit too much and I don’t think maids should be allowed to go into the class at all. A proper nanny yes, a maid no. The majority of maids simply go to gossip w/ other maids that are there. I would see them more as a disruption than anything.. and a parent should be forced to do this if this is what their child is in need of.

But a week.. the first day or so ok.. but a week seems too long to me. I’m a more of a drop your kids and run kind of mom. I don’t think sitting there does anything but makes things go on longer. The children generally adjust and as long as you are there at the end of the day all seems fine. Of course I start my kids off in preschools before KG and they are used to it.

From my talks with various teachers they tend to think dropping them and letting them cry a bit is better than to open the class up to parents presence because eventually the parent isn’t going to be there and they’ll be dropped off and they’ll cry and they’ll get over it.

By: American Bedu

American Bedu — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:22:18 +0000

I like the idea that for the first week the Dad’s (or the mom’s) can go and sit in the back of a class offering a reassuring presence when a child begins either KG or 1st grade. However the parents who do choose to do this should remain orderly and make no effort to distract the class or the teacher in any way..

By: hissweetheart

hissweetheart — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:07:39 +0000

I have seen a lot myself. I myself got indulged in one of these I-hate-dislike-school by my niece. However,the solution is not to accompany them to school!!

When my niece started her not-to-go-to-school-siren, I went to her school an hour after she left. I had a talk with her teacher about her condition especially that my niece has complained about the teacher shouting and swearing!!

Everything went OK and the problems got solved. However, the view of moms at the back of the class or walking in the halls with their kids was uncomfortable. The teacher herself wasn’t at ease and told me that she can’t function like she should be when moms are around for their won’t be classroom management whatsoever!!

I know parents get fed up with their kids not wanting to go to school but the answer is not to accompany them and make a big fuss to the teachers and the kids who are there yearning for their parents.

A good parent can convince her or his child to go to school witht eh easiest solutions. Stickers, the cheapest stuff ever can do wonders.

By: American Bedu

American Bedu — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:33:45 +0000

Khalid, my nephew is attending a KG in Jeddah which is all male.

Wow, Miriam – what an experience! Was that in Jeddah?

By: Miriam Mac

Miriam Mac — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:05:10 +0000

My husband did not stay with my son and the poor thing was suffering symptoms of child abuse by the beginning of Grade 2. The teachers told me that even though my son wasn’t being hurt himself, he was being terrified by watching his fellow students hit on their hands with rulers, held up by their necks against the wall etc. There were other fathers who complained as well. His first, second, and third grade teachers were all fired for abusive behavior. I don’t hear so many of these kinds of stories these days. I think that the schools put the kabash on brutality…but as I don’t have any little ones in the school system now, I don’t know for sure. One can only hope. There was one of the big boys who was picking on my son on a daily basis also. So, I taught him to think of himself like a fire ant….and the next time he was picked on, I told him to make sure the other kid got hurt as well (bite, kick, punch, scratch…whatever he could do back at him!). He came home a bit roughed up a few days later…but smiling. He told me that the kid threw him off the swing and he came swinging back at him. The teacher yelled at both of them, but NO ONE ever picked on my son again after that. It was unfortunate…but necessary to teach him how to protect himself. Luckily, my daughter never suffered with any of that in her school.